Yesterday was A-level results day, one of the most stressful days in a student’s life. In some ways, it’s even more nerve-racking than sitting the actual exams.

Across the country, teenagers will have logged on to UCAS desperate to see if they had been accepted into their chosen universities, and what the culmination of 14 long years of education has amounted to.

It’s an immense amount of pressure to put on an 18-year-old – to ask them to choose what career they want to pursue, often after no real-world work experience. It’s also a near-impossible task to predict the trajectory your career will take over the course of the next 40, 50, 60 years, when on average a person is estimated to have 12 jobs in their lifetime.

On results day, it feels like the rest of your life depends on this one moment – some of your teachers might even tell you that it does – but it’s just that, a moment in time. It’s one door that opens or closes, that you don’t have to go through if you don’t want to and that you can come back to later if you aren’t ready.

It’s a particularly tough year for this cohort, many of whom haven’t sat exams since they were 11 years old due to the coronavirus pandemic. Their GCSE results were based on teacher grades, and these are the first ‘normal’ results post-pandemic. These exams have been marked with higher grade boundaries than the previous two years.

UCAS figures have already revealed the impact of this too, as the number of pupils accepted onto their first choice university degree course has fallen by 2.6% compared to last year.

The percentage might seem small but that’s over 10,000 students who will have been disappointed to find they are unable to study where they wanted to in September. 

These results undeniably have an impact on students’ mental health and self-worth. Behavioural change specialist Shahroo Izadi revealed that it’s normal to feel that our academic achievements reflect our value, though it’s important to reframe this to form our own vision of success. 

“It’s important to define what is important to you beyond traditional academic measurements of success, not least at a time when strengths such as emotional intelligence are fast becoming a highly-valued commodity,” Izadi shared. “Remember to acknowledge yourself based on the progress you’ve made from your own unique baseline, factoring in the (often very personal) challenges that have got you to where you are today.”

Undoubtedly, there are external pressures to go to university on both a collective and individual level from society, school and sometimes parents, as Shannon Alexandra found.

“Having immigrant parents and growing up poor, academia was heavily thrust upon me from childhood,” she explained. “I was brought up, almost forced, into choosing science-based subjects and thus ended up studying BioMed and qualifying as a scientist.

“My perspective really changed during Covid when I was working in medicine and blogging. I found myself not only enjoying the creative career more, but also earning more money than I was via my reputable and respected NHS job.”

As a result, Alexandra quit her medical career and became a full-time creator. Similarly, author Fiona Fletcher Reid realised by the time she’d finished her degree in commercial music that she didn’t want to work in the industry.

“I fell into a management job in hospitality thinking that my chance at having a job I enjoy had been wasted,” she reflected.

“Now, I’m a self-taught freelance writer, a published author and my new income matches my corporate salary while giving me flexible hours. And I get to work with amazing writers on projects I enjoy.

“If you’d told me this when I was at university, I wouldn’t have believed the twists and turns my career has taken for the better.”

In reality, university is also not a viable option for everyone, especially with the increase in fees this year (from £9,000 to £9,250) and the increased timeframe over which the debt is now waived (40 years instead of 30).

Editor Rebekah Killigrew felt that university “didn’t seem financially within reach” and believed getting a job was the better option.

After several years of temporary roles and trying out jobs in different industries, Killigrew had a great deal of valuable career experience when compared to her peers.

“None of my employers have ever questioned my level of education and I have often worked alongside (and above) university-educated colleagues, so depending on the job, experience can be just as valuable [as a degree],” she added.

For the past five years, Killigrew has been at the helm of architecture and interior magazines and says she’s found her “dream job”.

Meanwhile, 22-year-old Kianna Graham opted to stay home and continue her part-time role in retail while she studied at the Open University. As a popular choice for higher education, Graham cited the fact that she can earn while she learns as the “biggest benefit”.

“I was able to save almost £10,000 in the past year. I’ve got more of a disposable income, which I’ve used to learn how to drive, save for a car and do fun activities with my family and friends,” she told Stylist.

“I don’t think I’m missing out on a traditional university experience. I feel more independent because I’ve made a decision that suits my situation and will set me up for the future.”

Equally, there are other options outside of higher education that provide valuable experience and development for young people. As schools focus on the academic trajectory – and their own statistics – there’s also a wide range of options from apprenticeships to placements to internships on offer.

Becca Johnson, senior writer at Film Focus Online, said: “I opted for an apprenticeship over going to university as not only did I want to start working and earning money, but I also wanted experience in the field before committing.”

She added: “Upon completion of my apprenticeship, I not only held a level 3 certificate but also 18 months’ experience in my chosen field.”

Now, Johnson works for an apprenticeship training provider to help the next generation achieve their chosen career. 

Aimée Rumsby, a marketer and freelance photographer, came to a similar conclusion. “At the age of 18, I didn’t know what career I wanted to pursue, so university felt like a high-risk commitment.”

Rumsby considered applying for university – a “mix of FOMO and peer pressured creeped in” when her friends were applying – but she trusted her gut. “When I visited a few universities, it didn’t feel right to me, and I had such a mix of interests that I didn’t want to give up,” she says.

Regardless of what your results were, remember that your value could never be reduced or summarised by a string of numbers on a page.

As Alexandra suggests: “Really consider what makes a successful life, and then build your own ladder to get there.”

Images: Getty